A Local Social Contract Platform for Somalia - Decentralization and service delivery from the bottom up through co-production by communities, service providers, and the state

Jul 19, 2026

This policy note recommends creating a local social contract platform led by government to align communities, service providers, and state institutions in solving shared development challenges. It builds on existing institutional strengthening and service delivery efforts while targeting gaps between citizens and the state, limited state presence, fragmented service delivery, and weak inclusion and accountability. The platform is structured around five core components: community diagnostic and collaboration, participatory planning, resource mobilization, community oversight and accountability, and shared development commitments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Summary

Proposed local social contract platform

Five core components

Leveraging Community Institutions in Somalia

Presence and distribution of community institutions

Effectiveness in resolving development problems

Mobilization, fundraising, and funding sources

Collaboration patterns and external actors

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized POLICY NOTE A Local Social Contract Plaƞorm for Somalia: DecentralizaƟon and service delivery from the boƩom up through co-producƟon by communiƟes, service providers, and the state Summary This policy note recommends the establishment of a local social contract plaƞorm under the leadership of government that would enable communiƟes, service providers and state insƟtuƟons to work together from the boƩom up to solve common development problems. The proposed plaƞorm would seek to build on the strengths of exisƟng insƟtuƟonal strengthening and service delivery eﬀorts. This includes robust community insƟtuƟons, nascent district-level planning and coordinaƟon structures, increasing state involvement in basic service delivery, and a dynamic economy and innovaƟve ecosystem of public, private and non-state service providers. But it also seeks to address persistent weaknesses including the need to strengthen the social contact between ciƟzens and the state, expand the presence of state insƟtuƟons, reduce fragmentaƟon in service delivery, and improve inclusion and accountability for all Somalis and ciƟzens. The proposed plaƞorm consists of ﬁve core components: (a) a community diagnosƟc and collaboraƟon forum, (b) a parƟcipatory planning system, (c) a resource mobilizaƟon mechanism, (d) a community oversight and accountability system, and (e) a series of underpinning commitments between ciƟzens and the state on development and service delivery prioriƟes, processes, and the roles 1 This section presents findings from a mixed methods study of community institutions, development problems, social cohesion, inclusion and resilience including results for a household (HH) survey of 3,105 respondents, a community and responsibiliƟes ofciƟzens, service providers and the state. Leveraging Community insƟtuƟons in Somalia 1. There are many community insƟtuƟons present across Somalia.1 A household survey conducted in late 2023 found there are on average 5.1 community insƟtuƟons present at the village or ward level. The most common community insƟtuƟons are Village Councils (VC), Community EducaƟon CommiƩees (CEC), Women’s Groups and Youth Groups with over 60 percent of respondents reporƟng their presence in their village or ward. Least present are water management commiƩees, village development commiƩees, and land management commiƩees, although they were sƟll present in around 50% of respondent villages/wards. 2. The distribuƟon of community insƟtuƟons in respondent villages/wards varies considerably. As | Figure 1: Number of Community InsƟtuƟons
DistribuƟon | | --- | | Percent
| leader (CL) survey of 1,509 community leaders, as well as 48 qualitative case studies on the successful and unsuccessful resolution of common community development problems. 20 June 2024 1 shown in Figure 1, about 24 percent of respondents reported all nine community insƟtuƟons were present in their village/ward, whereas 50 percent of respondents reported fewer than four community insƟtuƟons in their village/ward and 11 percent reported that none were present. 3. Where present, community insƟtuƟons areacƟve in the resoluƟon of common development problems. The Community Leader survey found that community insƟtuƟons have on average been involved in the resoluƟon of 4.9 community development problems over the past 12 months, parƟcularly village/ward roads, sanitaƟon and human waste, qur’anic schools, and conﬂict and ﬁghƟng. The community insƟtuƟons most acƟve in resolving mulƟ ple problems are Village Councils, Village Development CommiƩees (VDCs) as well as clan elders. 4. Community insƟtuƟons play a criƟcal role in mobilizing leaders and community members, resources, as well as directly resolving problems. Overall, 58 percent of community insƟtuƟons took one acƟon in the past 12 months, about 20 percent took 2-3 acƟons, and about 22 percent took 4 or more acƟons. The two most

FAQs

What problem the proposed local social contract platform aims to address in Somalia?

It aims to help communities, service providers, and state institutions work together from the bottom up to solve common development problems, while strengthening ties between citizens and the state and reducing fragmentation in service delivery.

What are the five core components of the proposed platform?

The platform includes: a community diagnostic and collaboration forum, a participatory planning system, a resource mobilization mechanism, a community oversight and accountability system, and underpinning commitments between citizens and the state on priorities, processes, and roles.

How do community institutions in Somalia contribute according to the study findings?

Community institutions are widespread, take actions to resolve development problems, help mobilize leaders and resources, conduct fundraising, and can be effective—especially through village councils and related groups—while collaboration varies with different actors.

Jul 19, 2026

Upload by Ava Thompson